Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2015.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Other Authors: Kevin Slavin.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98615
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author Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
author2 Kevin Slavin.
author_facet Kevin Slavin.
Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
author_sort Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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description Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2015.
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spelling mit-1721.1/986152022-01-18T16:53:22Z Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time Tools for mindful timekeeping : four devices to change our relationship to time 4 devices to change our relationship to time Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kevin Slavin. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences. Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences. Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2015. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-51). This thesis presents an investigation into the development of a series of devices that alter our relationship to time. The intention behind each of these devices is to help people become more aware of the temporality that is at the core of our being. Time pressure comes from the networks of timekeeping that surround us. It's not just our clocks and watches. Time is synchronized across devices, cities, and continents. Networked time regulates our lives today more than ever before. Modern timekeeping has shaped our culture into one that squeezes productivity out of even the most inconceivably small time increments. Time was once kept at a distance. Church towers and grandfather clocks marked time in space. As technology advanced, timekeeping has shifted inwards and closer to our bodies. Time is embedded in watches, phones, and every digital electronic device that surrounds us. Today, fewer people wear watches and keep time for themselves. We've outsourced our sense of time to systems that we don't understand. Our phones and computers display time accurately without intervention or maintenance, making watches seem redundant. Those who are less aware of time are surrendering to an unfamiliar force. They invite environmental pressures to pull their sense of time away from an innate internal awareness towards a grossly distorted sense that views time as a commodity. Modern timekeeping might help with efficiency, but we are busier today than ever before. While we've shaped our temporal perception through the increasing precision of standardized time, human psychology remains connected to time, but not congruent to the physics of it. If we can become more aware of our relationships to time, we can manage our expectations and counteract temporal illusions, misperceptions, and distortions. The devices presented here call for a more mindful approach to timekeeping. Rather than pushing time into the periphery, I hope to empower people to make time their own. We can challenge the temporal pressures of our environment, culture, technology, and state of mind through an alternative relationship to time. by Che-Wei Wang. S.M. 2015-09-17T18:59:49Z 2015-09-17T18:59:49Z 2015 2015 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98615 920474016 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 51 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.
Wang, Che-Wei, S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title_full Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title_fullStr Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title_full_unstemmed Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title_short Tools for mindful timekeeping : 4 devices to change our relationship to time
title_sort tools for mindful timekeeping 4 devices to change our relationship to time
topic Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98615
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